One Step, Two Step
by ThawedTheFrozenHeart
Summary: Modern!Au/ Dancing!Au I came up with. Rated M for future chapters. I love hearing your reviews, so please leave one (positive and negative feed back/critique accepted, though I would appreciate it if you did not spam the review section with hate. It dows nobody any good.) Enjoy! (Btw, Elsa and Anna are not related in this, and Kristoff and Anna are siblings.)
1. Got You a Replacement

"What?!" cried Anna, looking at her current boyfriend and dance partner, Hans, incredulously.

"I'm moving," he repeated, "My brothers and I can't all live in our small house, Anna. My dad looked for one that could shelter us, and the biggest one is out of state." He puffed up his Southern Isles Princes football jacket, his exterior exuding suavity. The sight was quite offsetting to Anna, not even so much towards the news of Hans moving, but how he did not even seem the slightest bit upset about it.

"Th… The competition, Hans," said the redheaded girl, looking up at him with glistening eyes, "What a-about the competition?"

Silence settled momentarily over the pair.

"... I have to call it off, Anna," he said, his eyes betraying his composure, "Our relationship and the competition."

The freckled woman stood there, looking for all the world as if she had just been slapped in the face. The first tears started to spill over. Then she took a shaky inhale and glanced at the tall boy once again.

"You're… Breaking up with me, too?" she quietly asked, voice thick. Hans shifted slightly, lip trembling momentarily before he regained his composure.

"You have to realise this is for the better, Anna," explained the auburn haired boy, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I did not choose this to happen, but LDRs would not work for me. I need to be able to feel the person, not just… Not just see and hear them. I would stay here, I would, but I'm only in community college. Wherever my dad goes, I go."

"... Y-you don't even seem t-to care…," she whisper, subconsciously leaning toward his touch. She could feel the warmth of his large hand under her hoodie.

_God, how I'll miss that warmth. That face. Those eyes. The cute blush he gets on his face when he realizes he's rambling. The light in his eyes when he's done something he's proud of. The concentrated look he gets when dancing._

"... I said that to my father at my mothers funeral. His reply to me was, 'Cool and composed makes your feelings reposed.' I'm pushing my feelings down for you, Anna, so you don't feel worse than I know you already do," came Hans's slightly strangled voice. With a shuddering breath he kissed Anna's hair and mumbled into her ear a quick goodbye, proceeding to leave her apartment after.

It was then that Anna realised Hans had never said 'I love you' to her throughout their whole two year relationship.

Anna stood there for a moment, tongue feeling like a lead weight in her mouth. Her body was stiff as a marble statue, trying to process everything that had just happened to her.

_My boyfriend broke up with me. **My boyfriend broke up with me**. But… Possibly even worse… i just lost my dancing partner. There is no competition for me anymore. Nothing. I've been waiting for this competition for six years, SIX GODDAMN YEARS, and now… It's all shattered to ruins…_

Tears started rolling down her freckled cheeks as she truly absorbed what had happened to her. Dancing was her lifeline; she did it to calm down, to have fun, to win competitions, to make her life easier. The competition she was looking forward to most, however, was the International Olympus Competition. The was IOC the most renowned dancing competition in the world, people from countries all over the world speaking of it. She had dreamed of entering it since she was young, but had never fully considered it until her sixth year of dance, when she was twelve years of age.

_Ms. Meg smiled lightly, calling her over after class._

_"You know what you've got, kid?" she said to the young, redheaded girl. Anna grinned as she heard the instructor's voice fill her ears. She always had a fondness for her, as she had been teaching her since she had started at the Arendelle Dance Academy._

_"What, Ms. Megara?" she replied, all smiles._

_"You've got three things. Three things that champions have. Determination, skill and talent, and effort. You see, you need all three of these things t-... sugar." A lock of her dark brown hair had fallen over her face, right over her eye. Anna laughed as she tucked it behind her ear, these things happening quite often, but still eager to hear what her teacher had to say._

_"As I was saying. You need all of these things to be a champion. You can't have just two, or just one, but you need all three. You need determination to be able to see where you want to go and how you're going to get there. You have the skill and talent, which gives you the ability to soar over and above others. And the effort. The effort is the key ingredient, really, because what do the other two matter if you're not going to work hard at something and put every fiber of your body into working towards what you want, you know?" She studied Anna's face to see if she understood. Anna's eyes were wide with wonder, and she nodded, as if to encourage the instructor to continue. And so she did._

_"You can't have just effort and skill and talent, because then you don't know what you're working towards. And you can't have just effort and determination, either, though that pairing is a bit debatable to some." She broke off and chuckled slightly, then continued, "But lucky for you, Anna, you've got all three of those things. You're going to make it so far, I can just tell. In fact, I have faith you'll make it to the IOC." At those words Anna's heart leapt to her throat, and suddenly she was rendered speechless. Was she truly that good?_

"Well… Now that I don't have a partner… The Big Three mean nothing," she mumbled quietly. Then she jumped about a foot in the air as the front door slammed open. Her brother and roommate, Kristoff, stood in the doorway, his big oaf of a dog Sven at his side. Both were covered in snow.

"What the hell hav-"

"Anna, why are yo-" They both started at the same time. Kristoff put up his hands, further proceeding to take off his hat, scarf and mittens.

"Ladies first," he replied.

"Where the hell were you, Kristoff?" she said, eyeing him warily. He smiled.

"First snow of the season, sis! I was walkin' Sven, as usual, and then it started to snow a little bit. And then a little bit more. And then a lot more. And we played in it, and then here we are," he explained, taking off his shirt and boots. He started walking towards his room, the Newfoundland trailing behind him. He took off his shirt just as he walked through the doorway.

"My turn, Anna. Why are you crying?" he called out to her, a slight hint of concern underlying in his tone. She heard slight mumbling, and then Sven came out and sat in front of her, awaiting to be pet with his adorable brown eyes. She couldn't help but smile at his pleading expression, and bent down to pet him.

"... Hans broke up with me… And he's moving out of the state," she said, tears beginning to sting her eyes again.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what?" Kristoff practically threw himself out of his room, hitting the hallway wall harshly. He was struggling to get his shirt on as he ran out into the living room, accidentally stubbing his pinky toe into a leg of a chair. He threw his head back and howled in pain. Anna broke out in a laughter that immediately began to brighten her mood. Kristoff jumped around on one foot, crying out obscenities that the redhead had often heard her oafish brother mutter when he couldn't figure out a problem of his school work.

"It's… Not… Fucking… Funny… Anna…," exclaimed Kristoff through clenched teeth. This only made the younger sibling laugh harder.

Kristoff put his foot down and winced, glaring at Anna the best he could. But it was quite hard to stay angry at her.

The blonde limped over to the couch and sat next to his sister, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Okay sis… If Hans moves out of state, then… You don't have a partner, right?" he questioned. Anna's smiled faded and her bright turquoise eyes dimmed, a solemn look toning them down. She simply nodded.

"Well, you're lucky you have me as a big brother who goes to the same campus as you. I k-"

"Kristoff, I love you, with all my heart, but you're an absolutely horrific dancer," she replied while cutting him off, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Kristoff laughed, his voice resonating through the room. A sound that always made Anna feel better.

"Well then. No, I wasn't actually going to offer my services, if you'd let me finish what I was saying, then you'd know that I know an amazing dancer who could be your partner," he said, getting satisfaction from the sudden straightening of his sister's back. He pulled out his phone and texted someone.

"Wait, what? What's his name?" questioned the redhead, not trying to sound too eager. Apparently it was a futile attempt, judging by the smirk on her brother's face.

"Her, Anna. Her name is Elsa." There was a clean cut look of surprise displayed on Anna's features. So that was why he was smirking.

"Don't worry, sister dearest, she's practiced both male and female roles. And let me tell you, you will NOT be disappointed when you see her dance," he said, studying her eyes. They started to shift from uncertainty to excitement.

"When will I see her?" the younger sibling asked, now not caring how eager she sounded.

"Tomorrow, at twelve o' clock, on the dot," he said, grin expanding wider and wider, "And she said to be prepared, because she wants to see how you dance too."


	2. At the Dance Hall

The first sound she heard as she woke up was a loud, deep bark.

_Goddamit Sven._

She looked over across her dimly lit room at her clock. It was eleven fifteen. The redhead rolled back over and yawned, not a care in the world.

_Wait._

_Eleven fifteen?_

Her eyes snapped open and she sat up up with a gasp.

"Holy shit, I gotta get ready!" Anna scrambled out of bed, her unruly red hair flying everywhere. She grabbed a towel and ran out of her bedroom into the bathroom, almost slipping on the linoleum tiled floor. Almost ripping her clothes off her body, Anna started the shower up as well. Within thirty seconds steam was starting to form.

_Thank God we live close to the hot water heater._

With her towel hung up, the freckled girl set an alarm for ten minutes. She could take no longer than that to shower.

When she stepped in the shower, she let out a tiny moan due to the heat of the water. Showers were equivalent to dancing, honestly; they melted away her problems and made her forget the world, even if just for a small period of time.

Steam and air filled the girl's lungs as she inhaled, taking in the moisture of the surrounding oxygen. Her body slicked with water, she began to work on cleaning her hair and body.

_Want to at least smell my best if I can't look it._

Post-shower, she speed walked to her room and quickly dried off. The girl chose a casual outfit: an Arendelle Blizzards sweater, navy jeans, and black Chucks. Then came the hair. The goddamn hair. She took a comb to it immediately, wincing every time she hit a knot. Eventually she came to socially acceptable standards with her hair and braided her hair in the usual style, one braid to one side and another braid to the other.

_Well, it's the best I can do._

The redhead picked up her car keys from the dresser and walked outside hurriedly, slipping into her coat and relishing the warmth it gave her. Looking at her clock, she let out a small breath of relief. Only eleven forty. Great. Wonderful. She'd be at campus in no Time.

If only there wasn't so much traffic.

_You have got to be fucking kidding me._

Anna sat in her seat, face getting red with impatience as she drummed her fingers against the steering wheel.

_Jesus Christ. The one day that's important this month, and everything is getting screwed up. Like, why didn't Kris- KRISTOFF THAT SON OF A BITCH. HE KNEW ABOUT THIS, HELL, HE EVEN SET THIS UP, AND YET HE DOESN'T EVEN FREAKING WAKE ME UP._

At the red light she pulled out her phone and quickly texted Kristoff.

_Brother of the year award is waiting at home for you at home on a silver platter, Douche._

All she got in response was a simple :P .

+*_%{|+*]%{~+*{]~+^]{+^~

When the traffic had finally improved and Anna arrived on campus, she immediately ran down the halls toward the dancing hall. On more than one occasion she almost tripped over her own feet in her attempt to sprint to the hall. She noticed that almost no one was on campus.

_It's Saturday, why would I?_

As the heaving girl finally arrived to her final destination, she paused before the great room. She ran her hands through her red bangs, receiving slight anxiety about meeting this Elsa. Would she be kind, or mean? Would she be tall or short, like herself? Gentle dancer, or rough partner? Questions like these swam about the sea of her mind, and she found the only way to answer was to see what was held beyond the tall Mahogany doors the lead to the dance hall.

Inside was a sight she was completely caught off guard with.

Anna's eyes started with the woman's head. She had white gold hair, which was very thick indeed. Her bangs were pushed back so they did not fall over her face, and led down to a long braid which resided comfortably on her left shoulder (and by God, did it look soft). In her ears were ear buds, and her eyes were closed. From what Anna could see (at the moment), she had thick lashes as well as strong eyebrows, which were just slightly darker than her hair color. Her nose was small and curved. And her skin, Christ, her skin was flawless and the color was almost an exact imitation of porcelain. She also head a long, slender neck.

Next was the girl's torso. She had long arms, upon which led to gloved hands which encompassed long fingers. Her frame itself seemed sturdy and her posture was impeccable. Her breasts appeared to be neither large nor small, at just the right size. The stomach of the woman seemed flat. She was dressed up top in a light denim jacket with a black shirt underneath. Her waist was slim, but not too much so that she looked like a pole.

And lastly came his woman's lower body. Her legs were donned in navy blue jeans, and upon further observation they did not seem tight, which would give the woman good flexibility whilst dancing. But her legs, they seemed endless. They were long, and though a bit thin, looked very strong. Her feet were about the average size, held inside suede black boots.

Altogether the woman was thin, definitely. Not anorexic, not that slim, but muscular thin. She seemed to be about three or four inches taller than Anna.

_Amazingly gorgeous, that's what she is._

The redhead felt her face growing hot and remembered she had to breathe. Taking a deep breath, she began to walk toward this stunning figure. Now that the physical questions had been answered, now came the personality questions. Was she nice? Stern? Gentle? Commanding? Demanding?

When she finally made her way to the girl, she lightly tapped her shoulder.

"E-excuse me, miss?" said Anna quietly. She coughed a little bit to make her voice stronger. As she was about to speak once more, her mouth went dry. The woman's eyes had opened. And dear Lord, they were so… Indescribably beautiful.

They were a piercing, crystal blue. And big, as well. And just… well, heart stopping.

The woman smiled and took out her ear buds. She held out her hand.

"Hello. I'm assuming you're Anna?" she asked. Her voice, soft yet strong, made Anna's heart flutter.

_Wait, what the hell? My heart flutter? One, that's fucking cliché. Two, uhm… I'm straight. I need to get my act together._

After a few moments hesitation, the blonde's hand slightly withdrew. Her shy and kind smile suddenly faltered and became uncertain.

"...Maybe not?" she said, almost entirely taking her hand back. Anna mentally smacked herself for being so awkward.

"N-no, my apologies. I'm Anna Proctor," the redhead replied, holding her hand out.

_Little late for that._

Even so, the blonde's smile grew again and and she gently shook her hand. It was pleasingly warm.

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Proctor. My name is Elsa Davidsen, delighted to make your acquaintance. Your brother talks very fondly of you. He says you have a knack for dancing," said Elsa. Anna nervously chuckled.

"Please, call me Anna. And yes, I suppose I am a talented dancer," the freckled-girl responded. Now that she was closer up, she could see that the taller woman had almost invisible freckles that you could only see very closely. Elsa's hand left her own, and she found herself slightly disappointed at the sudden loss of contact. She let her hand drop to her side.

"So, do you have anything planned for me, Miss Davidsen?" asked Anna. Elsa smiled and let out a little chuckle.

"Miss Davidsen is what everyone called my mother. I would prefer you to call me Elsa," replied the blonde, "And yes, I do have a little something planned. An assessment of your skills, if you will. I have created a mix of songs, ranging from Tango to Waltz." She walked over to the stereo on the adjacent wall.

"Have you practiced male roles alongside female, Anna?" asked pale woman.

"Unfortunately, I haven't," came the redhead's reply. She suddenly felt embarrassed for her lack of practice for the male parts in paired dancing. Her cheeks began to feel hot.

"Well then," said the taller woman, and undercurrent of excitement hiding in her voice. She turned and walked to Anna, and it was obvious that she was trying to stay reserved by the slight upward curves at the corners of her mouth. She bowed and extended her gloved hand, looking up to meet Anna's gaze. A ballroom number began to play.

With a slight half-grin, Elsa posed to Anna a question.

"May I have this dance?"


	3. The Assessment

**A/N: Holy bejeezus we seriously are already approaching forty follows and I haven't even had this story out for a week. What the shit munches. I'm sorry for posting an authors note, as I don't usually like to, but to avoid confusion and such I wanted to say that this chapter is told in both the likes of Elsa's point of view and Anna's point of view. You should notice a shift in there after the opening lines. Thanks and enjoy!**

_Hell yes._

Of course Anna didn't say that, but gave a polite smile and nodded as she curtsied and took the black covered hand in her own. The warmth was back, and the redhead found herself very comfortable with the thought of having the heat of Elsa's hand in hers frequently. With a grin, the blonde stood upright and entwined their fingers. Anna placed her hand on Elsa's shoulder, and the other partner's hand found it's way onto the freckled girl's waist.

"One, two, three, four…"

_My God, is she beautiful._

Elsa closely examined the girl in front of her as they began to step in rhythm to the number she had put on. Anna had the brightest turquoise eyes she had ever seen. Not to mention that the color of her eyes was also heavily accent by her sunkissed skin. If only she could touch that skin for herself…

_No. Conceal, don't feel._

Of course, in her daze of listening to the mix she had prepared for the two before she had met the redheaded girl, she had a police interrogation's worth of questions. How good was Anna? What did she look like? Why was she in need of a dance partner, so much so that she accepted a female partner? How were her manners? How seriously did she take dance?

_Enough to accept a female dance partner, obviously._

She broke out of her thoughts and continued to observe the freckled girl. And god, when Kristoff said that his sister was a freckle face, he was not lying. It looked like someone had taken the stars, made them skin colored, and set them upon Anna's skin. They were most prominent on the bridge of Anna's nose (from what she could currently see). However, when she made eye contact with the tanned girl, she was startled by three things. One, how, as previously stated, their color seemed to practically jump out at her. Two, how much authentic kindness was said wordlessly when her eyes were looked into. And lastly, how much… how much sadness there was hiding in there. Which was what genuinely surprised Elsa the most. How could this girl, this bubbly, bright, delightfully awkward girl, have such sorrow locked away?

_Never judge a book by a cover. You know that line best._

Suddenly, the blonde heard a quiet sigh. Not a sigh of boredom, per se, but… One that actually sounded content.

Broken out of her stupor, she glanced down at the figure in front of her. Anna just looked… She just looked so…

_In the zone. I'm in the zone._

Anna was completely devoted now, to the dance, from the moment she heard Elsa's beautiful voice say 'four'. It was just her and the blonde. Nothing else mattered at the time. All there was in the redhead's world was the music, the rhythm, and the partner. All worries forgotten, all memories blown away, all her troubles melted into oblivion. She, for the first time in many a day, had felt truly happy.

Through her utter concentration, a thought kept recurring in her mind.

_Why does this feel so…_ Right?

Something, she couldn't quite place her finger on it, _but something_ felt so innate about having Elsa as her partner. Was it the height? Elsa was shorter than Hans, by about three or four inches. But… It couldn't be that. She'd danced with others around the porcelain skinned girl's height. Was it that she was a solid, yet gentle partner? Couldn't be, Hans had been just as gentle as Elsa… Perhaps it was the fact that whenever she looked at Elsa, she didn't see a struggle to keep in time or not step on her feet, or even that she looked as though dancing came effortlessly to her.

_Maybe it's because she looks like she feels like I do. Like… She feels at peace._

That was something that Hans never was. He always had to focus so much, had to practice so hard and concentrate like there was no tomorrow. That wasn't to say he didn't enjoy dancing, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he did, but he never felt like she did. He never felt at home.

_Like you have the world at your feet, like you can just enter a world where there's just you, music, and your partner._

The redhead also took note that Elsa was incredibly skilled. She never missed a beat, never made a misstep, and best of all, didn't control Anna's motions too much. And when the dip came, me oh my.

Elsa had leaned her back and the freckled girl received shivers down her spine when the blonde's hot breath ghosted over her neck. With a gentle strength and natural elegance the pale girl pulled her back up and they continued their dance.

_She's strong. Wonderful._

About a minute more passed by when the blonde craned her neck down slightly, almost touching her lips to Anna's her, causing the sunkissed girl's cheeks to set ablaze with red.

"Switching to tango," she whispered in a low, just slightly rough voice, "In five, four, three, two…"

*][;'=-=-! #$%^&**_*)}{":?

About fifty minutes later, Elsa's "assessment" had come to a close. Both were panting from the vigorous exercise. The music had finished, and both had yet to move away from each other. Anna, surprisingly, had been the one to step away.

Elsa dropped her hands and began to wring them.

"I'd be honored if you were to be my partner, Anna," the blonde quietly offered, "You have great talent, you know."

The redhead gave a lopsided smile at the compliment in return.

"Thanks, Elsa," she replied contently, "And I'd love to be your partner." In an instant crystal eyes met turquoise.

"A-are you sure?" flustered the blonde, clearly surprised by Anna's response.

"Absolutely. You've got some talent up your sleeve too, ya know," the freckled girl chuckled to the paler woman.

"Oh… W-well, okay then, I suppose. M-may I have your n-number?" stuttered Elsa, a red tinge coating her cheeks.

"You may." In about thirty seconds they had each other's contact information and went their separate ways.

_She was the most gorgeous woman I've ever met._

A thought that kept repeating over and over again in Anna's mind.

If only she knew that Elsa was on the same exact train of thought.


End file.
